According to whispers Dani overheard from relatives after what they referred to only as “the incident,” her mother had always been emotionally fragile. Something had happened in her childhood that no one would talk about. Dani didn’t notice anything at the time. Her mother was her mom. That was all.
Then came the morning when twelve-year-old Dani woke up to the sound of her mother screaming. The police and the ambulance had come. Paramedics carried a tiny bundle from the nursery where her baby brother slept. They had used the term “crib death,” and Dani found out only later what that meant. For her three older surviving children, it meant devastation. They lost both their little brother and their mother that day. She became an automaton who drifted through each day, completing household chores and other obligatory functions with little awareness of the world around her.
Despite his own struggles, their father did his best to care for the older children, and life began to return to normal as he gradually helped her mother regain her mental footing and recover from the loss.
Things were getting better . . . or so everyone thought, but their chances at a normal life died with their father when Dani was seventeen. Her mother’s most powerful tether to reality snapped, and she sank into a mental morass and was never the same after that—and neither were her children.
“You came for Axel’s birthday,” Erica said, stepping back from their embrace.
“You say that like there was a chance I’d forget,” Dani said, lifting the gift bag to show her sister. “Never missed either of your birthdays yet.”
A male voice interrupted them from across the room. “Knew you’d come.”
They both turned to see Axel sauntering into the tiny family room from the narrow hallway that led to the bedrooms.
“Feliz cumplea?os,” Dani said, holding out the gift bag. She knew better than to give him a hug. Axel didn’t do hugs.
He grasped the bag’s thin ribbon handles and peered inside. “You know me so well,” he said, lifting out a box.
She had searched for weeks to find a 3D logic puzzle difficult enough to challenge him. Most would have taken him less than sixty seconds to complete, but this one was designed by a Mensa group, so she figured it would last him a couple of hours. Maybe.
“That should take you a minute,” she said. “There’s a gift card in there too. Don’t spend it all on booze just because you turned twenty-one today.”
Axel pulled the plastic card out of the bottom, his eyes widening when he saw the amount printed on the front. “I wouldn’t waste this on alcohol, but I might consider using it to buy an NFT.”
Dani suppressed an eye roll. Axel was all about cutting-edge technology, including nonfungible tokens and cryptocurrency. They had stayed up late one night arguing when she discovered he was socking every penny he could scrounge into blockchain-based investments. She was afraid he would lose it all, but he was confident about his financial strategy.
Dani’s thoughts were interrupted when Manuela walked in from her bedroom. Their eyes locked. Erica and Axel looked from one woman to the other and back again.
“I came to see Axel,” Dani said by way of explanation.
“Did you have a good visit?” Manuela asked, emphasizing the past tense.
Dani bristled. “I’ve only been here five minutes. I was about to—”
“And it’s been real nice to see you,” Manuela said firmly. “Thanks for coming by.”
Dani reminded herself this was her tía’s home. Technically she had no right to be here, and neither did her brother and sister, who were of legal age. They had both qualified for scholarships and lived on campus most of the year, but Manuela allowed them to stay with her between semesters and on holidays. The fact that Manuela accepted money from Dani for her niece and nephew’s care may have nudged them into landlord–tenant status, but Dani would never push the issue on their behalf. Regular schools were still open, but universities were already on summer break, and her siblings could be sent out to fend for themselves. Better to bite her tongue and keep the peace than go to war with family.
She had to stop by before she left, despite the pain her visit would cause everyone involved. She knew the rules. Deep undercover meant no outside communication. But she had a favor to ask her sister, and she had to check on her brother.
She swallowed the words trying to force their way out of her mouth and changed tactics. “I also wanted to ask Erica for a favor.”
Manuela’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of favor?”
“A new hairstyle.”
“She doesn’t do hair anymore,” Manuela said. “She works as a medical assistant down the street.” She smiled at Erica. “She’s going to be a doctor someday.”
Erica gave her aunt an apologetic grimace. “I don’t mind.”
Manuela’s gaze—and her scowl—returned to Dani. “Why the sudden interest in your appearance?” She gave her a critical perusal. “It’s not like you’ve put a lot of effort in before.”
Dani felt a hot scald creep up the back of her neck but kept her tone light. “It’s time for a change.”
“I’ve got some of my old stuff in the bathroom,” Erica said in an obvious attempt to defuse the growing tension. “We can do something with your hair.” She grasped Dani’s hand and began tugging her toward the hallway. “It’ll be fun.”
“I’ll help,” Axel said. “You know, moral support and all.”
Dani allowed herself to be led, shooting a glance over her shoulder to see Manuela standing in the family room, hands on hips, glaring at them.
“I wish she would lay off you,” Erica said after closing the bathroom door. “She just can’t let shit go.”
“She’ll never be in charge of your fan club,” Axel said to her. “But she always manages to cash your checks.”
Dani had told her brother and sister about the money she sent every month to make sure her aunt spent it on them. She didn’t think Manuela would overtly steal from her own family, but having checks and balances in place avoided temptation and left nothing to chance. It also encouraged Manuela to keep providing a place for them to live until they were ready to strike out on their own.
It couldn’t have been easy for Manuela, whose own children were grown and had left the apartment nine years ago, to suddenly find herself responsible for raising her brother’s three teenage children. She had always been closer to Erica and Axel, and the preference became more pronounced each day after they moved in. Whenever Dani did something Manuela didn’t care for, she would mutter, “como tu mamá,” under her breath—but loud enough to be sure Dani knew she was acting like her mom.
After their mother, finally broken, had been committed to the psych ward at Bellevue Hospital, CPS had taken her three children to live with their tía Manuela and tío Pablo, only a few blocks away. Dani had been seventeen at the time, four years older than Erica and six years older than Axel. CPS workers had been pleased they could each continue to attend their same schools, assuring the judge at the custody hearing that they would get support from their friends.
They had been woefully wrong.
A full change of identity and relocation would have been better for them as far as Dani was concerned. Their friends gossiped about them before finally ghosting them. They had all overheard the whispers in the halls. “Did you hear what happened? Their mom is loca. That whole family must be messed up.”
On her eighteenth birthday, Dani had followed in her father’s footsteps and joined the Army.
Combined with the other benefits, her military paycheck had provided enough extra income to make up for any extra financial burden her younger siblings caused their aunt and uncle. Eventual promotions and hazardous duty pay she’d received on active duty had gone toward a college fund she’d set up for them.
Axel had qualified for a full-ride scholarship to Columbia University, and Erica had done the same at NYU, but they both had plenty of expenses.
“I dropped by to say happy birthday, and to say goodbye for a while,” Dani said quietly, aware neither sibling would like what they were about to hear.
“I thought you weren’t going on any more secret missions.” Erica’s tone was only half-kidding. “You promised me you’d turned in your secret decoder ring when you left the Army.”
They had all grown up on sanitized and declassified stories about their dad’s days in the military, and Erica made it clear she did not want Dani to join the Rangers. Terrified her big sister would be captured or killed, she nearly broke down every time Dani went on a classified mission.
“Something came up,” Dani said, trying to sound more casual than evasive. “I need to change my look. Figured you could help.”
“What did you have in mind?” Erica asked, suspicious.
“This won’t be an ordinary makeover,” Dani said. “I’m thinking about something a bit more . . . tactical.”
“Tactical?” Erica repeated, crossing her arms. “What’s up?”
Axel gave her a knowing look. “She’s going on an undercover assignment with the FBI.”